This still doesn't excuse the actions of our troops, but there are some good points here. Cavuto

I do not condone the actions against the prisoners, but the attached article makes some valid points.

Prisoner Abuses

I watched a part of A Few Good Men this weekend. Seemed eerily familiar. Here is a quote from it:

Kaffee: We have softball games and marching bands. They work at a place where you have to wear camouflage or you might get shot.

I have never been in the military or at war, but it just seems a little unfair for me to judge our men in Iraq.

My neighbor was in the military and says that this type of action is nothing new. What upsets him is that their was no public outcry for abiding to the Geneva Convention in Vietnam. He said it was NO strange occurence to kill or capture a Viet Cong soldier with a necklace made of human ears or to see just an American soldier's head along a trail.

ok, everybody's chimed in on the culpability of the soldiers but the question was...should the media have shown the pictures?

How come none of the major stations will show pictures of Koby Bryant's accuser (even though the tabloids have) but they're totally out of control with regards to these pictures?

It seems that sensationalism and one-upmanship by the networks under the guise of 'informing the public' is strongly at play here. What can we really believe as to the hows and whys of these pictures? Whose story do you trust, Katie's or Diane's?

The bottom line is whether or not you think these pictures should have be put out to the WORLD public. Spin is not just a word. It truly defines the media's ability to drive public opinion.

Not only is the media IMHO somewhat responsible for this major deal being blown all over the US, but in addition the soldiers in the pictures, according to the first brought to trial, were ordered to pose for those pictures. The young woman was told that her picture with the dead men did indeed get information from some of the remaining prisioners because being seen with a woman was so degrading that they decided to talk. She was given the ORDER from her commanding officers to pose. She is like 21 years old and lives in a trailer park somewhere and the big wigs are now hiding behind her!!!

Here is a good picture from Iraq:

Good Pic

any bets on seeing this on the 6:00 news tonight?

Let's all create our own pictures (see link) and send them to all the news stations.

Another Good Iraqi Picture

We just can't get away from the pictures, can we?

Which just goes to prove the point that the media is a huge controlling influence on public perception. If the media wasn't flashing these pictures all around 24/7 would any of us be doing the good picture/bad picture thing at all?

Let's revisit the original post. Should the pictures have been shown at all? I, for one, am far more interested in BOLer's take on this than in debating the merit of various pictures.

bjp, I that "Huddie" said everything that I could think of to say on the subject on page 1.

Video Shows Beheading of American in Iraq
Civilian Was in Iraq Looking for Contract Work
By NIKO PRICE, AP

BAGHDAD, Iraq (May 11) -- A video posted Tuesday on an Islamic militant Web site showed the beheading of an American civilian in Iraq, and said the execution was carried out by an al-Qaida affiliated group to avenge the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers.


Talk About It


· Post a Message | Chat


The video showed five men wearing headscarves and black ski masks, standing over a bound man in an orange jumpsuit - similar to a prisoner's uniform - who identified himself as Nick Berg, a U.S. contractor whose body was found on a highway overpass in Baghdad on Saturday.

''My name is Nick Berg, my father's name is Michael, my mother's name is Susan,'' the man said on the video. ''I have a brother and sister, David and Sarah. I live in ... Philadelphia.''

After reading a statement, the men were seen pulling the man to his side and putting a large knife to his neck. A scream sounded as the men cut his head off, shouting ''Allahu Akbar!'' - ''God is great.'' They then held the head out before the camera.

Berg's family said Tuesday they knew their son had been decapitated, but didn't know the details of the killing. When told of the video by an Associated Press reporter, Berg's father, Michael, and his two siblings hugged and cried.

''I knew he was decapitated before. That manner is preferable to a long and torturous death. But I didn't want it to become public,'' Michael Berg said.
On the Web site, one of the executioners read a statement:

''For the mothers and wives of American soldiers, we tell you that we offered the U.S. administration to exchange this hostage with some of the detainees in Abu Ghraib and they refused.''

''So we tell you that the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls. You will not receive anything from us but coffins after coffins ... slaughtered in this way.''

The video bore the title ''Abu Musab al-Zarqawi shown slaughtering an American.'' It was unclear whether al-Zarqawi - a lieutenant of Osama bin Laden - was shown in the video, or was claiming responsibility for ordering the execution.

The Web site on which the video was posted is known as a clearing house for al-Qaida and Islamic extremist groups' statements and tapes. An audiotape purportedly from bin Laden - which the CIA said was probably authentic - appeared on the same Web site last week.

Western officials say al-Zarqawi, whose real name is Ahmad Fadhil al-Khalayleh, is a lieutenant of bin Laden. The United States has offered $10 million for information leading to the capture or killing of al-Zarqawi, saying he is trying to build a network of foreign militants in Iraq to work for al-Qaida.

In the video, the speaker threatened both President Bush and Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

''As for you Bush ... expect severe days. You and your soldiers will regret the day you stepped into the land of Iraq,'' he said. He described Musharraf as ''a traitor agent.''

The slaying recalled the kidnapping and videotaped beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002 in Pakistan. Four Islamic militants have been convicted of kidnapping Pearl, but seven other suspects - including those who allegedly slit his throat - remain at large.

Suzanne Berg, the mother of the 26-year-old Berg, of West Chester, Pa., said her son was in Iraq as an independent businessman to help rebuild communication antennas. He had been missing since April 9, she said.

''He had this idea that he could help rebuild the infrastructure,'' she said.

The U.S. military Tuesday said an American civilian was found dead in Baghdad, but did not release his identity. State Department spokeswoman Susan Pittman said she couldn't release the name of the dead American, but said she not aware of more than one civilian found dead in recent days.

The military said there were signs of trauma to the body. Suzanne Berg said she was told her son's death was violent but did not want to discuss details.

Berg, who was in Baghdad from late December to Feb. 1, returned to Iraq in March. He didn't find any work and planned again to return home on March 30, but his daily communications home stopped on March 24. He later told his parents he was jailed by Iraqi officials at a checkpoint in Mosul.

''He was arrested and held without due process,'' his father, Michael Berg, told the Daily Local News of West Chester recently. ''By the time he got out the whole area was inflamed with violence.

The FBI on March 31 interviewed Berg's parents in West Chester. Jerri Williams, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia FBI office, told The Philadelphia Inquirer the agency had been ''asked to interview the parents regarding Mr. Berg's purpose in Iraq.''

On April 5, the Bergs filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia, contending that their son was being held illegally by the U.S. military. The next day Berg was released. He told his parents he hadn't been mistreated.

The Bergs last heard from their son April 9, when he said he would come home by way of Jordan, Turkey or Kuwait. But by then, hostilities in Iraq had escalated.

Suzanne Berg on Tuesday said she was told her son's body would be transported to Kuwait and then to Dover, Del. She said the family had been trying for weeks to learn where their son was but that federal officials had not been helpful.

''I went through this with them for weeks,'' she said. ''I basically ended up doing most of the investigating myself.''

I believe in freedom of the press, so if that is going on, I guess I have to say they have to right to show them. That said however, I think we all need to step back and realize they are only showing 1/2 of the story. The problem is you get a better review/rating if you are telling a shocking story. I don't by any means agree with what the media is doing, by NOT showing the other side of the story which is 1. them hurting the american people, I just read today 1 of our soldiers was beheaded but will they show that on the evening news??? 2. Our soldiers helping them every day!!!!!!!!!!

Quote:

---

I just read today 1 of our soldiers was beheaded but will they show that on the evening news???

---

It was an American contractor, not a soldier and it was videotaped and posted on a website. We'll see how the news handles it. I am still waiting for Nightline to dedicate an entire week to Ted Koppel reading the names and showing the faces of those who died in the World Trade Centers.

RANT WARNING

I'll be honest. Up to this point, I have been an advocate of letting the Iraqis establish authority, but I find myself growing weary of this kid gloves treatment of these insurgents. Their boldness is fueled by the fact that we are letting them believe that they actually have a prayer against the might of our military. I've had enough of this. It's time to turn that country inside out if necessary and let them feel the full might of the American military. The insurgents should be rooted out, and shot. Same goes for any who harbor or support them, regardless of affiliation, sex, or age. I'm tired of this. It angers me that this man was so brutally murdered amidst cries of "God is great". How dare the media parade pictures of what amounts to purile hazing and scream outrage while there is grave silence over the beheading of an innocent man!! This world has been turned upside down.

I agree with you DawgFan. I wish we would go in with our full might, instead of trickling in too few troops to be whacked. They should learn from our Civil War history; one of the reasons the north won was sheer numbers. They just kept comin'.

I also think those beheaders are cowards hiding behind their hoods. If you believe so much in your cause, then show your face!

If you want to see the video (I have not seen it) of the beheading, you may at www.mikeonline.com. I am not trying to start a discussion of whether this should be seen, but if you want to see what we are up against, it is at <a href="www.mikeonline.com" target="_blank">Mike Gallagher</a>. He gives a serious warning. He says it will shock, repulse, and anger you. He thinks you should see it to see what we are up against, but of course, it is a personal choice. I have not decided whether to see it yet. Just hearing Fox New's Shepherd Smith graphically describe it was difficult to listen to. Mike Gallagher says that just "hearing" the video is difficult enough.

I can assure you that I do not serve the same god as these hooded men.

Quote:

---

I can assure you that I do not serve the same god as these hooded men.

---

Neither do I. My God doesn't need a bunch of goons in hoods to defend Him - He is quite capable of defending Himself.